Archive for the ‘Artificial Intelligence’ Category

A.I. Is Learning What It Means to Be Alive – The New York Times

In 1889, a French doctor named Francois-Gilbert Viault climbed down from a mountain in the Andes, drew blood from his arm and inspected it under a microscope. Dr. Viaults red blood cells, which ferry oxygen, had surged 42 percent. He had discovered a mysterious power of the human body: When it needs more of these crucial cells, it can make them on demand.

In the early 1900s, scientists theorized that a hormone was the cause. They called the theoretical hormone erythropoietin, or red maker in Greek. Seven decades later, researchers found actual erythropoietin after filtering 670 gallons of urine.

And about 50 years after that, biologists in Israel announced they had found a rare kidney cell that makes the hormone when oxygen drops too low. Its called the Norn cell, named after the Norse deities who were believed to control human fate.

It took humans 134 years to discover Norn cells. Last summer, computers in California discovered them on their own in just six weeks.

The discovery came about when researchers at Stanford programmed the computers to teach themselves biology. The computers ran an artificial intelligence program similar to ChatGPT, the popular bot that became fluent with language after training on billions of pieces of text from the internet. But the Stanford researchers trained their computers on raw data about millions of real cells and their chemical and genetic makeup.

The researchers did not tell the computers what these measurements meant. They did not explain that different kinds of cells have different biochemical profiles. They did not define which cells catch light in our eyes, for example, or which ones make antibodies.

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A.I. Is Learning What It Means to Be Alive - The New York Times

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The Adams administration quietly hired its first AI czar. Who is he? – City & State New York

New York City has quietly filled the role of director of artificial intelligence and machine learning, City & State has learned. In mid-January, Jiahao Chen, a former director of AI research at JPMorgan Chase and the founder of independent consulting company Responsible AI LLC, took on the role, which has been described by the citys Office of Technology and Innovation as spearheading the citys comprehensive AI strategy.

Despite Mayor Eric Adams administration publicizing the position last January, Chens hiring nearly a year later came without any fanfare or even an announcement. The first mention of Chen as director of AI came in a press release sent out by the Office of Technology and Innovation on Thursday morning, announcing next steps in the citys AI Action Plan. OTI Director of AI and Machine Learning Jiahao Chen will manage implementation of the Action Plan, the press release noted.

New York City previously had an AI director under former Mayor Bill de Blasios administration. Neal Parikh served as the citys director of AI under the office of former Chief Technology Officer John Paul Farmer, which released a citywide AI strategy in 2021. Under de Blasio, the city also had an algorithms management and policy officer to guide the city in the development, responsible use and assessment of algorithmic tools, which can include AI and machine learning. The old CTOs office and the work of the algorithms officer was consolidated along with the citys other technology-related offices into the new Office of Technology and Innovation at the outset of the Adams administration.

The Adams administration has referred to its own director of AI and machine learning as a new role, however, and has suggested that the position will be more empowered, in part because it is under the larger, centralized Office of Technology and Innovation. According to the job posting last January, which noted a $75,000 to $140,000 pay range, the director will be responsible for helping agencies use AI and machine learning tools responsibly, consulting with agencies on questions about AI use and governance, and serving as a subject matter expert on citywide policy and planning, among other things. How the role will actually work in practice remains to be seen.

The Adams administrations AI action plan was published in October, and isa 37-point road map aimed at helping the city responsibly harness the power of AI for good. On Thursday, the Office of Technology and Innovation announced the first update on the action plan, naming members of an advisory network that will consult on the citys work. That list includes former City Council Member Marjorie Velzquez, who is now vice president of policy at Tech:NYC. The office also released a set of AI principles and definitions, and guidance on generative AI.

OTI spokesperson Ray Legendre said that an offer for the position of director of AI was extended to Chen before the citys hiring freeze began last October. The office did not explicitly address why Chens hiring wasnt announced when he started the role. Over the past two months, Jiahao has been a key part of our ongoing efforts to implement the AI Action Plan, Legendre wrote in an email. Our focus at OTI over the past few months has been on making progress on the Action Plan which is what we announced today.

According to the website for Responsible AI LLC, Chens independent consulting company, Chens resume includes stints in academia as well as the private sector, including as a senior manager of data science at Capital One, and as director of AI research at JPMorgan Chase.

After City & State inquired about Chens role, Chen confirmed it on X, writing I can finally talk about my new job!

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The Adams administration quietly hired its first AI czar. Who is he? - City & State New York

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Think Palantir Technologies Stock Is Expensive? Here’s a Cheaper Artificial Intelligence (AI) Stock to Buy Before It … – Yahoo Finance

Think Palantir Technologies Stock Is Expensive? Here's a Cheaper Artificial Intelligence (AI) Stock to Buy Before It ...  Yahoo Finance

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Think Palantir Technologies Stock Is Expensive? Here's a Cheaper Artificial Intelligence (AI) Stock to Buy Before It ... - Yahoo Finance

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1 Artificial Intelligence (AI) Stock That Has Created Millionaires and Will Continue to Make More – The Motley Fool

1 Artificial Intelligence (AI) Stock That Has Created Millionaires and Will Continue to Make More  The Motley Fool

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Report: Artificial Intelligence A Threat to Climate Change, Energy Usage and Disinformation – Friends of the Earth

March 7, 2024

WASHINGTON Today, partners in the Climate Action Against Disinformation coalition released a report that maps the risks that artificial intelligence poses to the climate crisis.

Topline points:

AI companies spread hype that they might save the planet, but currently they are doing just the opposite, said Michael Khoo, Climate Disinformation Program Director at Friends of the Earth. AI companies risk turbocharging climate disinformation, and their energy use is causing a dangerous increase to overall US consumption, with a corresponding increase of carbon emissions.

We are already seeing how generative AI is being weaponized to spin up climate disinformation or copy legitimate news sites to siphon off advertising revenue, said Sarah Kay Wiley, Director of Policy at Check My Ads, Adtech companies are woefully unprepared to deal with Generative AI and the opaque nature of the digital advertising industry means advertisers are not in control of where their ad dollars are going. Regulation is needed to help build transparency and accountability to ensure advertisers are able to decide whether to support AI generated content.

The evidence is clear: the production of AI is having a negative impact on the climate. The responsibility to address those impacts lie with the companies producing and releasing AI at a breakneck speed, said Nicole Sugerman, Campaign Manager at Kairos Fellowship. We must not allow another move fast and break things era in tech; weve already seen how the rapid, unregulated growth of social media platforms led to previously unimaginable levels of online and offline harm and violence. We can get it right this time, with regulation of AI companies that can protect our futures and the future of the planet.

The climate emergency cannot be confronted while online public & political discourse is polluted by fear, hate, confusion and conspiracy, said Oliver Hayes, Head of Policy & Campaigns at Global Action Plan. AI is supercharging these problems, making misinformation cheaper and easier to produce and share than ever before. In a year when 2 billion people are heading to the polls, this represents an existential threat to climate action. We should stop looking at AI through the benefit-only analysis and recognise that, in order to secure robust democracies and equitable climate policy, we must rein in big tech and regulate AI.

The skyrocketing use of electricity and water, combined with its ability to rapidly spread disinformation, makes AI one of the greatest emerging climate threat-multipliers, said Charlie Cray, Senior Strategist at Greenpeace USA, Governments and companies must stop pretending that increasing equipment efficiencies and directing AI tools towards weather disaster responses are enough to mitigate AIs contribution to the climate emergency.

Previously, the coalition submitted letters to President Biden and Senator Chuck Schumer that call on them to implement climate concerns into proposed AI legislation. The letters echo recommendations made in the report, including:

Communications contact: Erika Seiber, [emailprotected]

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Report: Artificial Intelligence A Threat to Climate Change, Energy Usage and Disinformation - Friends of the Earth

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